Bottom rail construction for vehicle bodies



Aug. 27, 1940.

Vw. w. FARR BOTTOM RAIL CONSTRUCTION FOR VEHICLE BODIES Filed April 17. 1937 I WILLIAMW RAT-Q V L//J'j ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 27, 1940 UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTOM RAIL CONSTRUCTION FOR VEHICLE BODIES William W. Farr, Penn Valley, Pa., assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 17, 1937, Serial No. 137,440

9 Claims.

It is an object of the invention to simplify the' construction of the bottom rail of such truss structures, that is, the rail interconnecting the vertical and diagonal members of the truss at 10 substantially the floor level, this rail structure forming also the lower chord of the side wall truss. The simplification of the structure brings about also the achievement of ancillary objects, if not primary objects, of the invention, namely decreased weight, increased strength, and greater facility of manufacture resulting in increased economies both by reason of fewer parts entering into the structure, fewer joining operations, greater accessibility to the parts for joining them, and duality of function of certain of the parts whereby they serve several functions heretofore performed only by separate parts.

These objects are in large part attained by constituting this lower rail inv large part of Ithrough running members extending throughout the length of the car body. An important feature toward the attainment of these objects consists in the provision, as an element of the bottom rail structure, of a plate girder structure. having as a main element thereof a vertically deep through running plate secured directly to the inner faces of the posts and diagonals entering into the truss structure. This plate gir'der not only adds very materially to the strength of the 36 bottom rail structure but, being located as it is adjacent the floor level and extending thereabove an appreciable distance, it serves also to form a substantial part of the walls of the heater duct extending lengthwise of the car body in this 40 location. Another feature whereby these objects are obtained, particularly the object of greater .strength and ease of fabrication by reason of the facility with which the parts may be joined, is the constitution of this bottom rail structure in large part of such through running members as can be readily joined to the postsy and to each other and to members extending between the posts to constitute a box-section structure. A through running member uniting with the through running vertical plate girder already referred to may constitute an outer inwardly facing flanged channel scuff rail applied to the outer faces of the posts and secured thereto opposite the lower portion of the plate girder. The space between these through running outer and inner members is finally bridged between the posts, which extend downwardly some distance below the bottom of the r'ail to provide extensions for the attachment of the transverse oor beams, by upper and lower bridging means which form with 5 the through running members box-section structures.

Other and further objects and advantages and the means by which they are obtained will become apparent from the following detailed de- 10 scription when read in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows more or less diagrammatically and in side elevation a rail car sidewall truss structure in which the invention is embodied.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a portion of the structure, said view being taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, certain 20 of the parts' being broken away to more clearly show the structure, and floor beams being'indicated. y

Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are detail transverse sectional views on an enlarged scale taken substan- 25 tially along the line 3 3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the successive steps in the assembly of the bottom rail structure.

The side wall truss structure embodying the 30 invention may consist of the vertical posts Il), the top rail member II, a bottom rail member I 2, and the belt rail I3. Additional posts I4 may be provided in the regions of the window openings extending only to the belt r'ail. AThe diagonals I5 35.

interconnect the adjacent posts both below and above the belt line, the joints between the various members including generous size gussets I6, to permit extensive overlapping areas through which the parts may be joined, as by spot welding, 40

Since the invention relates more particularly to the bottom rail construction of such a truss and diagonals. This plate girder structure is 50 secured to the inside faces of the posts and diagonals, the posts I0 extending therebelow some distance, these extended ends of the posts, see Figure 2, being adapted to receive thereagainst for secur'ement thereto, transverse floor beams as 55 I8. The vertically deep plate girder extends from the top of the floor beams upwardly a .distance suficlent to form the inner Wall of the heater duct usually provided in this location but entirely separate from the framework of the structure. In this case, the vertical plate girder I'I has the dual function of forming the inner wall face of the heater duct and at the same time providing a main structural member of the side frame, thereby simplifying the structure as a whole.

The plate girder may be subassembled to include in the subassembly the vertical plate I9, a top through running angular member 20 spot welded to the upper margin of the plate I9 and having its inwardly extending arm form a portion of the top of the heater duct and serve as'securing means for the inner wall portion of the heater duct, and a bottom inwardly facing channel 2| secured through its bottom wall to the bottom margin of the plate I9 by spot Welding and serving as a floor supporting Stringer.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the plate girder I1 may be said to consist of a top chord 20i a bottom chord 2|, and a vertical web plate |9 interconnecting the top and bottom chords.

The parts 20, 9 and 2| are readily assembled in subassembly and applied as a subassembly as shown in Figure 3 to the inner faces of the posts I9 and secured thereto by spot welding the portions overlapping the posts to the inner walls of the posts. Where the post is of a flanged channel section facing outwardly as shown, the securement of the plate girder subassembly I'I is to the bottom wall of the channel. This arrangement renders the joint readily accessible for spot welding.

To this end the gussets I6 connecting the posts and bottom rail, one of which is shown in Figure 2 connecting a post I0 and a diagonal 22 to each other and to the bottom rail structure, are preferably applied to the posts after the plate girder subassembly I'I has been applied and secured in place. The gussets I 6 are readily secured to the posts by spot welding them to laterally extending flanges Illa, Ib forming the outer faces of the posts as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

The outer portion of the bottom rail structure comprises a through running scuff rail 23 of inwardly facing flanged channel section, this scui rail being arranged substantially at the floor level and having its flanges spot welded to the laterally extending post flanges as well as to the gussets I6. This scuff rail may be Welded to the gussets and the subassembly so produced then applied to the posts and spot welded to the posts. However, this is not essential, and it may be more convenient for the manufacturer to assemble the gussets to the posts first and thereafter assemble the scuff rail 23 to the combined posts and gussets. In Figure 4, I have shown the bottom rail construction in the second stage of its assembly to the posts with the gussets I6 and scuff plate 23 secured to the outer face of the post, and the vertical plate girder subassembly secured to the inner face as already described.

To contribute still further to the strength of the bottom rail construction, the vertical plate I9 and the top flange 24 of the scuft rail 23 are interconnected by a bridging member extending between adjacent posts.

This bridging member in the preferred form shown comprises a downwardly facing channel, the outer side wall of which overlaps and is spot welded to the top flange 24 of the scuff rail 23 and the inner side wall overlaps and is spot welded to the vertical girder plate I9.

The application of these bridging members between the posts constitutes the third stage in the assembly of the bottom rail structure, as shown in Figure 5, the downwardly opening channels 25 being readily attached tothe adjacent parts by entering the welding tools through the open bottom of the structure. The outer side Wall of the channels 25 is preferably arranged in the plane 0f the gussets and is offset inwardly, as indicated at 26, through its region of overlap with the gussets to which it is also spot welded in this region.

To still further strengthen the bottom rail construction, it is finally closed as shown in Figures 2 and 6 to box-section form by a bridging member 27 joining the bottom flange 28 of the seuil? rail 23 and the bottom inwardly extending flange 29 of the channel floor Stringer 2| forming a part of the vertical plate girder subassembly secured to the inner faces of the posts. The bridging mem` bers 2'! extend between the posts and are preferably of angle form, one arm of the angle overlapping and being directly spot welded to the bottom flange 28 of the scuff rail and to the gussets in the region of overlap therewith. This arm 30 is also offset inwardly in the region of the gussets in the same manner as the outer Side wall of the channel 25. The other arm of the bridging angle 2'I is extended inwardly to overlap the bottom side 29 of the channel 2| and secured thereto by spot welding.

This final step in the assembly of the bottom rail structure is clearly indicated in Figure 6.

It will be understood, of course, that the bottom rail structure is further strengthened and stiffened and a strong anchorage is provided for the diagonals 22 by the mutual interconnection of these parts to each other and to the posts. The diagonals in the present instance are shown consisting of two channel members spot welded back to back, these channel members having their outer walls in the outer plane of the posts and their inner walls in the inner plane and the outer walls overlapping the gusset members I6 and being spot welded thereto while the inner walls overlap the vertical plate I9 and are spot welded thereto.

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that the parts entering into the improved bottom rail construction can be readily formed by draw rolling or otherwise and can be most economically manufactured and joined together in the flnal assembly by the usual spot welding equipment. When. so assembled, they provide a very strong bottom rail construction and one that forms a strong joint between the posts and diagonals of the side wall truss construction and further enters into the structure of the usual heater duct. All of these advantages are obtained with a minimum of weight in the structure.

Reference is made herein to copending application of Ragsdale et al., Ser. No. 193,870, filed March 4, 1938, for Vehicle body construction (a division of earlier copending application Ser. No. 720,650, filed April 14, 1934, now Patent No. 2,171,434) in which is disclosed and claimed broadly a truss structure of the type of which the structure shown and claimed in this application is a specific modification.

While I have herein described a specific embodiment of my invention which I have found to be very efficient and practical, it will be underbottom rail, an intermediate rail and diagonals interconnecting said posts, said bottom rail comprising a vertically deep through running plate, said plate overlapping the inside faces of the posts and secured thereto and to said diagonals, and gussets and a through running angular member securing said posts and diagonals together on the outside faces of the posts.

2. In a light Weight vehicle body side frame truss fabricated out of sheet metal, spaced posts of angular cross section, and a bottom rail interconnecting said posts at substantially the floor level, said bottom rail comprising a vertically deep through running plate extending from below the oor level to some distance above said level and directly secured to the inner faces of the posts and an outer through running angular member secured to the outer faces of the posts, and a through running oor supporting stringer of angular section secured to the lower margin of said plate, the posts extending below said bottom rail a distance to receive in overlapping relation therewith transversely extending fioor beams.

3. In a light weight vehicle body side frame truss fabricated out of sheet metal, spaced posts of angular cross section, and a bottom rail interconnecting said posts at substantially the floor level, said bottom rail comprising a through running substantially inward'ly facing channel section structure including a ilatvertically deep plate secured directly to the inner faces of the posts and an outer through running angular member secured to the outer faces of the posts, the posts extending below the bottom rail for direct overlapping engagement with and securement to transversely extending floor beams.

4. In a vehicle body side frame truss structure, spaced posts of angular cross section, and a bottom rail interconnecting said posts at substantially the oor level, said bottom rail comprising a through running vertically deep plate overlapping the inner faces of the posts and secured thereto, a through running flanged channel member overlapping the outer faces of the posts and secured thereto, an angular member extending between the posts and secured to the top flange of said through running channel and the vertically .extending plate, and an angular member connecting the bottom flange of the through running channel and the lower margin of the vertically extending plate.

5. In a vehicle body side frame truss, spaced posts of angular cross section and a bottom rail interconnecting said posts including a subassembled plate girder structure including a through running vertically deep plate, an angular member secured to the bottom and top margins of said plate, the subassembly being secured in final assembly to the inner faces of said posts and an outer through running angular member secured to the outer faces of the posts, the bottoms of said posts extending below the plate girder structure for direct overlapping engagement with and securement to transversely extending floor beams.

6. In a vehicle body side frame, spaced vertical posts of hollow cross section having parallel flat faces on their outer and inner sides, and a rail structure interconnecting said posts comprising an outer through running flanged channel mem ber overlapping and secured to the outside iiat faces of the posts, and an inner through running ilat plate overlapping and secured to the inner fiat faces of the posts, and top and bottom members extending between the posts and interconnecting the top and bottom flanges of said flanged channel member with said plate, whereby to constitute the rail a box section member.

7. In a vehicle body side frame, spaced vertical posts of hollow cross section having parallel flat faces on their outer and inner sides, and a bottom rail structure adjacent the iioor level interconnecting said posts and comprising an outer through running inwardly facing flanged channel member overlapping and secured through its flanges to the outside fiat faces of the posts, and an inner vertically deep flat plate having its lower edge substantially at the level of the bottom flange of said channel extending upwardly above the channel a substantial distance and overlapping and secured to the inner fiat faces of the posts, and an angular member interconnecting the bottoms ofsaid plate and channel.

8. In a vehicle body side frame, spaced posts of angular cross section having flat faces on their outer and inner sides respectively, and diagonals of hollow section having flat outer and inner side faces substantially in the planes respectively of the outer and inner flat faces of the posts and extending from the base of one post to the next adjacent post, and a bottom rail structure interconnecting said bases of said posts and diagonals, said structure comprising a flat through running Plate secured to the inside faces of the posts and diagonals, a through running inwardly facing flanged channel member and gussets intercon.

necting the outside faces oi the posts and diagonals, and an angular member connecting the bottom flange of said channel and the lower margin of said plate.

9. In a vehicle body side frame, spaced vertical posts of hollow cross section having parallel at faces on their outer and inner sides, and a rail structure interconnecting said posts comprising an outer through running angular section member overlapping and secured to the outside at faces oi' the posts, and an inner through running fiat plate overlapping and secured to the inner fiat faces of the posts, and top and bottom members interconnecting the through running members adjacent the top and bottom of said angular section member, whereby to constitute the rail a box section member.

W. FARR. 

